This blog is suffering from abandonment issues. Poor thing. But lets not linger on that. After all, I did read some books this year, so lets do mini reviews.
Thirteen Storeys by Jonathan Sims
If you have read some of my previous posts, then you know I’m a big fan of The Magnus Archives. There was never any chance that I would miss Jonathan Sims debut novel.
I’m happy to say Thirteen Storeys did not disappoint. Told through multiple viewpoints, the creepy mystery gets unraveled chapter by chapter. It works well as a horror anthology with an overall arc.
The thing I really like about Sims’s writing is the way it portrays strangers living in the same world and their interpretation of the same events. It makes the stories very grounded in reality while the horror reaches level of surrealism.
And the horror is bone chilling and each story unique in the shivers they supply. I do think different chapters will have a different effect on various readers. Tapping into personal fears. There is one about a plumber that creeped me out thoroughly. And now it pops into my mind every time some sort of plumbing related discussion happens, unfortunately.
So, if you like horror I definitely recommend Thirteen Storeys as a late night read.
Opal by Maggie Stiefvater
A short review for a short story. Opal had the main effect of making me nostalgic for the Raven Cycle. Stiefvater books in general actually. I have now bought Call down the Hawk and it’s patiently waiting for me on my TBR list.
Opal is a lovely little short story told from the perspective from the character it shares its name with. Whimsical and dreamlike and teasing us by setting up mysteries for the Dreamer Trilogy.
A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas
Sarah J. Maas get a lot of flak from her overly passionate fans, but hell, the woman can write a spicy, exciting and heartwarming story.
Nesta has always been a prickly character, but one I liked since A Court of Mist and Fury. Having quite a thick novel told from her perspective is wonderful. On one hand it is a book about hot fae/elves being awesomely powerful and sexy. On the other hand it is about strong women and how they work and live with trauma, grief and fear. Finding connections that are positive for them through friends and family and rebuilding trust in themselves.
Only criticisms that I have for the book is Rhysand/Feyre who have seemingly lost their minds somewhere between books. And of course the new covers. I understand why it was changed. I even like the illustration, but I do find the design lacking.
A hearty recommend for anyone who have read the rest of the Thorns and Roses series. Not one to jump in if you haven’t read the others though. A lot of the story relies on past events and might be frustrating to new readers.
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
Piranesi was a surprise. I did not known Clarke had written a new novel, but very soon after that bookstagram discovery I had the hardback in my hands. Even then I did not know what the book was about and basically remained ignorant for about a quarter into the it.
This book is such a wonderful discovery. Full of mystery and whimsy. My two favorite aspects in stories. I really want to wax lyrical about Piranesi, but I don’t want to spoil the mystery for anyone planning to read it.
I would recommended it to anyone who enjoys books like The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle or The Long Earth.
Rule of Wolves by Leigh Bardugo
Well, nobody should be surprised by how much I love this book. It’s Grishaverse. It has crazy dark witchy magic. It’s got all the characters I love in it and it made me cry buckets. Yep.
It carries on from where King of Scars left us with Nikolai, Zoya and Nina being the main viewpoint characters, but some new ones are included as well.
Political intrigue, a war, some romance. I’m not going to say much more, because my gushing fangirl will take over and blabber on and on. And on that note, have you seen the Netflix series?
Any Way the Wind Blows by Rainbow Rowell
The boys are back in the third instalment figuring out magical mysteries and working on their new relationship whilst discovering their place in the new world after magic school.
Yes, I might have cried in this one too. I’m turning into such a sap. Rowell has a light fast passed writing style that is comfortable to read. I raced through this book in three sittings.
It’s not just the boys in this book. Agatha has low-key become on of my favorite characters throughput the series.
Am I sad that this is the finale?
Absolutely.
Am I satisfied with the ending?
Yes.
Do I recommend Any Way the Wind Blows?
Have you read the previous Simon Snow books? Then, yes. Go read it now.
Into the Crooked Place by Alexandra Christo
Did Not Finish… unfortunately. I went in knowing very little of the book. Purely bought it because of the author and the cover. I gave it a good go, but the story never grabbed me.
So, why did I give a book I did not finish two stars? Mainly because it did not offend me. One star goes to truly horrible books. This one wasn’t. It was just dull. A lot of telling and not showing. History and worldbuilding being piled on while the characters just floated from one scene to another. It had the potential of being really interesting, but after books like The Lies of Locke Lamora and Six of Crows authors need to bring their A-game when writing a fantasy heist/gangster novels.
I liked To Kill a Kingdom, so I will keep an eye out for Christo’s future novels, but next time I will read the reviews before buying the book.
And there we have the latest bunch of mini reviews. It’s been a slow reading year. Work and personal projects have overshadowed most of my life.
I’m thinking of doing a webcomic version soon. I’m a sucker for art and stories combined. They have taken up a big chunk of what was left of my reading time.
Anyway, let me know what you are busy reading. Do you recommend it? Have you read any of the books reviews above?
Till next post. (Hopefully not nine months from now.)
😉
The Bibliotaph Books 